


Tonight's a night we borrow

by einspunkteins



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F, Multi, Open Marriage, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Polyamory, Random Diplomatic Event, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:08:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26568586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/einspunkteins/pseuds/einspunkteins
Summary: At a Random Diplomatic Event™, Mrs and Mrs Troi seduce Starfleet’s most recent admiral. After all, isn't that what Random Diplomatic Events™ are for?
Relationships: Beverly Crusher/Deanna Troi, Beverly Crusher/Deanna Troi/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 14
Kudos: 69





	Tonight's a night we borrow

**Author's Note:**

> There isn't really a plot or a proper setting for this. Just imagine there is a moment in time after Voyager returns when they meet somewhere in space. It's plausible this happens in the same universe where my Beverly/Deanna fic called "Stars shining bright above you" takes place.

“So what do you think of our Admiral?” Deanna tilts her head sideways in the direction of Kathryn Janeway. It could have been an innocent question, but there’s a faint blush creeping up her cheeks that betrays her intentions.

“I think she has a little crush on you,” Beverly teases, smirking and wiggling an eyebrow.

“I think I might have a thing for redheads.” Deanna bites her lip.

Beverly glances to the back of the room and gives Kathryn a once-over. “She’s cute. I like her.” She meets Deanna’s eyes, filled with a kind of nervousness she rarely sees in them. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” The question is accompanied with an image of Kathryn naked in their bed between them, writhing and gasping.

Deanna’s breath hitches and she sends back a wave of arousal with her approval of the idea. “Are you sure?” When Beverly grins and strokes her cheek, Deanna relaxes and gives her a brief kiss. “Then find out if she wants to play,” she whispers seductively and smiles.

*

Beverly makes her way over to Kathryn, slips into the conversation with practised ease and waits patiently until she has a chance to steal her away and invite her to sit down in one of the booths. “Thank you,” Kathryn says earnestly and relieved, stretching her toes. “My feet were starting to kill me. They hate these kinds of receptions.”

“Mine too,” Beverly chuckles. “I should have listened to my wife. She told me to wear different shoes, probably because she didn’t want to hear me complain at the end of the evening. But these fit so well with the dress!” She stretches her foot out elegantly to show off the shoes and her leg in the process, obviously aware that her legs still have it in them to turn heads.

Kathryn inspects the shoes and her gaze slowly rolls over the rest of the leg towards the dress. “They do match very well,” she admits. “And there’s something about dressing up occasionally, isn’t there? Sometimes I get tired of wearing the same uniform every day.”

“Yes, it’s nice to let go of the uniform every once in a while,” Beverly says, and the look in her eyes adds that she doesn’t just mean the piece of clothing. She lets her leg fall back and her thigh rests lightly against Kathryn’s, a move that’s almost unmistakeably flirting.

Kathryn wonders what their situation is – open relationship? Planning a threesome? _It probably isn’t even possible to cheat on an empath,_ she thinks, _surely that’s not what she’s trying. It’s way too obvious for that_. She smiles and glances over at Deanna, who is effortlessly charming several important figures with her bright and cheerful laugh, and doesn’t seem at all uncomfortable on her high heels. She has her back turned towards the booth, but it almost appears as if she’s overtly swaying her hips just to show off to her audience. _It has to be on purpose_. _Am I being set up?_ “How does she do it?”

“Maintain that kind of figure while eating that much chocolate? I don’t know,” Beverly teases, her smirk showing she knows full well that that isn’t what Kathryn meant.

Kathryn snorts and blushes. It’s been too long since she’s been properly seduced and she’s gotten too comfortable restraining herself. Beverly makes her feel at ease, though, and before she knows it, she’s letting those restraints slip away and playing along. There’s something special about Beverly and Deanna, the way they are around each other and seamlessly move through this unnatural environment full of uniforms; they seem so confident and attentive, and Kathryn could sure use some attention. “I meant talk with the old, stuffy admirals like that, so effortlessly. I’ve never seen them so relaxed in a conversation with a younger officer.” She hesitates and then takes the shot. “But that too – she’s beautiful. You’re very lucky.” _Gorgeous, really._ She shifts ever so slightly to let her thigh rest more insistently against Beverly’s, though it doesn’t make for a very ladylike posture.

“She is,” Beverly grins, obviously pleased with her tactics. “I think she charms them with her smile and then uses her empathy to navigate the conversation, steers it towards topics they enjoy. She has a way with people.”

“I’ll say. Despite what they say about admirals, most of us aren’t nearly as much fun as you’d hope.”

“I have a feeling you’re different than most admirals,” Beverly says in a low voice, and Kathryn looks into gleaming, confident eyes.

As if right on cue, Deanna excuses herself and slips into the booth on Kathryn’s left side. She sits a little closer than necessary and Beverly doesn’t move to make more room, so her thigh still presses against Kathryn’s right. “Hey,” Deanna sighs. _Definitely being set up._ Kathryn wonders whether it was just good timing or Beverly had called her over telepathically.

Beverly leans over to Deanna to speak softly, resting her hand on Kathryn’s knee to support herself. “Had enough of the stuffy grey men?”

Deanna rolls her eyes. “Pfft, I don’t know how I always end up talking to the boring ones.”

“We were just talking about how good you are at charming them. You’re probably the only one who can handle them,” Kathryn smirks.

“Well, thank you,” Deanna smiles lovingly, “I’m flattered. What else were you discussing?”

Kathryn blushes a little – she hasn’t flirted like this in a long time, and it takes a moment to shake the feeling that she’s overstepping – while Beverly answers, playing out their little act. “How much fun Kathryn is. How beautiful you are.” Her fingers draw absent-minded circles on Kathryn’s leg. It must be a very unprofessional sight, but for some reason, Kathryn can’t find it in herself to care. She didn’t care much for becoming an admiral anyway.

“Really?” Deanna plays with a lock of Kathryn’s hair and her face suddenly seems intimately close. “I was just thinking that I really seem to have a thing for redheads,” she whispers, holding Kathryn’s gaze until her eyes flick down to her lips.

“You have good taste,” Kathryn tries to say confidently, but ends up almost whispering because her fingers brush electrically against Deanna’s and she’s still trapped in those dark eyes.

“Kathryn,” Beverly says softly, and Kathryn blinks and tears her eyes away from Deanna’s with obvious difficulty, “would you like to come back to our quarters?” The implications of that question fill the air around them and she lets out a disbelieving laugh. _Has it always been this easy to hook up?_

Kathryn’s gaze flickers nervously between them and she nods, a little hesitant but filled with anticipation. “Now?” Deanna licks her lips and a smile breaks over Kathryn’s face. _Irresistible._ “Okay, now.”

They bid quick goodbyes to the hosts and make an effort at discretion, but Deanna’s holding her hand as they stumble through the door. “You’re very good at seducing people,” Kathryn chuckles as they step into the hallway. Part of her feels like a drunk adolescent, sneaking out while someone pulls her by the wrist, and the anticipation of their first kiss curls through her veins.

“You’re worth our best efforts,” Deanna replies, and butterflies flutter in Kathryn’s stomach.

*

Deanna’s kissing Kathryn’s mouth and Beverly nuzzles her neck; Deanna’s hands are on her bottom, Beverly’s have found their way to her breasts. When Kathryn moans in between kisses, Beverly twists her around and catches her lips before pulling back for a moment. “Mmh – are you sure you want to do this?” The question is directed at Kathryn, but she looks to Deanna as well. Kathryn is losing control already. “Yes,” she says hoarsely, eyes dark with desire. “Are you?”

Beverly exchanges a look with Deanna and Kathryn briefly wonders whether something passes telepathically between them. “Yes, we are,” Beverly answers for both of them, and Deanna sighs in her ear as if to confirm. Kathryn leans back and lets herself be taken care of. Within seconds, Deanna has unzipped Kathryn’s dress and Beverly lifts it over her head. Kathryn reaches up and Beverly’s dress drops to the floor as soon as she slides the straps off her shoulders. They work together to undress Deanna and stumble towards the bed, dropping items of clothing on the way.

Kathryn lands in the middle of the bed between them and immediately loses track of whose hands are where – when she closes her eyes, she doesn’t even know who’s kissing her, and they seem to like confusing her by alternating. Hands and lips and tongues are all over her body, driving her crazy, and she doesn’t know where to put her own hands. “God, you both are almost too much already,” she whispers, and now it’s Deanna who steals her mouth away while Beverly (she thinks) nudges her thigh between Kathryn’s. “I didn’t realize there would be so many breasts involved,” she adds a little awkwardly when Deanna frees her lips, and they all burst out in delightful laughter. Kathryn reaches for one breast on either side as if to reinforce her point and thoroughly inspects them with her fingers, marvelling at how wonderfully different they feel. Deanna shares a look with Beverly and they both reach down to Kathryn’s chest, teasing her nipples erect. She gasps. “Mm, so how does this work?”

Beverly kisses her lips and smiles into her mouth. “Just trust us. And when in doubt, follow Deanna’s lead. She knows what you want.”

“She’s giving herself too little credit. Beverly’s very good with her tongue. And have you seen these fingers?” Deanna breathes hot in Kathryn’s neck and holds out Beverly’s hand. “Doctor’s hands. They can work magic.”

Kathryn leans back into Deanna’s embrace and takes one of Beverly’s fingers into her mouth with an approving hum. They share a look again and Beverly kisses her way down, putting her mouth and fingers to work between Kathryn’s thighs while Deanna kisses her breathless and teases her breasts and nipples. When Kathryn reaches for Deanna, she intercepts her hand. “I’ll get my share later. Just enjoy yourself,” she whispers.

“Okay,” Kathryn murmurs and she moans into Deanna’s mouth when Beverly’s lips close around her clit. A pressure she didn’t know she’d felt lifts off her shoulders – they have time, enough time for all three of them, and she doesn’t _have_ to satisfy anyone between now and her own orgasm. She’s never found her own satisfaction to be the centre of attention before, not like this, and suddenly she understands. They’re not doing this to take. They’re doing it to give.

They hadn’t been empty promises before – Beverly, a scientist at heart, is methodical and precise in her ministrations, and she does have a particular talent for whatever it is she’s doing now. Deanna is passionate, emotional, and listens, seems to know exactly who wants what; always in dialogue with body and mind. “Oh, oh my God, what are you doing? _Beverly_ ,” Kathryn moans, because it feels good, and the scientist-part inside her is curious, even now. When she looks down, Beverly grins triumphantly and rolls her clit between her tongue and lower lip while doing _something_ with her fingers inside.

“Told you she’s good at that,” Deanna purrs in her ear. Kathryn sighs and leans back. She rarely feels this comfortable with people she’s never met before, but these two are exceptionally good at putting her at ease. The amount of contact and intimacy overwhelms her, but in a good way, in the way that it’s too much and simultaneously not enough and she doesn’t know whether to hold her breath or to cry out. She looks up at the stars through the viewport and suddenly feels the infinity of the universe more than she’d felt it even in the Delta Quadrant, and then her eyes fall shut because Beverly tips her over the edge.

When she opens her eyes again, hands are lightly caressing her body – stomach, arms, hair, thighs, breasts. Something’s happening even before she realizes it’s exactly what she wants, and for a moment, she wonders whether it’s always like this with an empath, whether every thought would be picked up and acted on, but the reality of these two women kissing passionately while leaning over her body distracts her scientific brain. It looks so organic, the way their bodies fit together perfectly and their hands seem to cherish every curve, knowing each other like the back of their own hands. The fact that they allow her to be part of something so intimate, that they _want_ her to add to it, overwhelms her a little.

Deanna’s mouth muffles a throaty moan from Beverly and Kathryn is immediately catapulted back into desire. Before she knows what she’s doing, her hands are roaming thighs and hips and all the curves she can reach. “Mm, yes, go on,” Beverly moans and rolls her hips into Kathryn’s touch while Deanna leans back. They shuffle and then Beverly straddles Kathryn’s waist with Deanna behind her, reaching around to touch her clit. Kathryn enjoys the view – it’s not as though she’s never seen a naked woman before, but never anywhere near this, pleasure being presented to her like it is now. She keeps massaging Beverly’s thighs further up and teases her folds apart, lightly dipping inside and then taking over from Deanna. The angle is a little awkward, but it works. When Beverly leans down with hungry hands to kiss her and begs for another finger, Kathryn obliges, and Beverly rewards her with a deep groan that would make anything worth it.

Again, they shuffle around her without words, and Kathryn ends up lying on her back with Beverly on her mouth and Deanna between her thighs. She’s so absorbed in tasting this woman, the warmth of her lips and the scent of her arousal, that she barely notices an object pressing into her. _When did she get out of bed to get that?_ Deanna obviously senses her confusion and half-answers the unasked question. “It’s a toy. You’ll like it.” With that, she pushes through and Kathryn groans deep down in her throat at the sensation. _Oh, I like it alright_.

Beverly groans, too – an interesting dynamic, Kathryn thinks, that Deanna serves as an intermediary who shares their mutual arousal telepathically – and rocks her hips deeper into her mouth. “Oh, _Kathryn_ , yes, right _there_ –” and Kathryn had never, ever expected the syllables of her name to sound so deliciously sweet on Beverly’s tongue – “ _don’t stop, please_ ” – so she doesn’t. Deanna must have pulled some telepathic strings, because she speeds up, and the orgasm creeps up on her almost unnoticed, but then suddenly, it’s there, and exactly when Kathryn thinks she can’t hold out any longer, a string snaps and Beverly comes and drags her along.

While Kathryn is still catching her breath, Deanna crawls between her and Beverly, trembling, and her hands are grasping for both of them, aching desire seeping through her touch. “She’s incredibly on edge,” Beverly explains when she catches Kathryn’s slightly questioning look – not that she’d blame her for being aroused, but Deanna had seemed so in control the whole time. “Happens with empaths. She feels our orgasms almost as intensely as we do.” Deanna’s nails sink deep into her skin in agreement and Kathryn focuses all attention on her, answering with her hands all over her body. There’s something very disarming about being with Deanna, how sincere she is behind the diplomatic façade she usually carries in public, how raw and honest her emotions are legible in her facial expressions and her body language once she’s taken off that mask. Kathryn guesses that’s her way to cope with being an empath among non-empaths, a way to play it fair.

“Stop thinking and make me come,” Deanna moans and she attacks Kathryn’s mouth, licking her smirk away. “Gods, you taste so good,” she breathes between hot and open kisses, her nails scratching the back of Kathryn’s scalp through her hair. The mix of dominance and desperation in Deanna’s voice kindles a fire in Kathryn’s abdomen that she’d almost forgotten she had. Her hand meets Beverly’s between Deanna’s thighs and they chuckle, try for a moment to touch her together. Beverly pulls back, lifting her fingers to Kathryn’s lips; Kathryn licks them and looks at Deanna, who leans back invitingly and nods, every fibre in her body begging _yes please_.

She makes her way down, thoroughly teases Deanna’s breasts and softly bites her nipples along the way, until Deanna gets too impatient and Kathryn starts to lick long, full strokes between her folds and over her clit. She adds a tentative finger – “oh gods yes, more please” – and draws thick circles with her tongue, and Deanna’s hips buck into her hand and mouth, begging for more. Being wanted like this, appreciated, makes Kathryn’s knees and, frankly, all of her other bones go weak.

When she looks up to see Beverly’s teeth around a nipple, a thought burns in the back of her mind, but she hesitates. “Do it,” Deanna groans, “bite me –” and all of her doubts flow away when she does and is rewarded with _that_ sound “– yes, Kathryn, right there, oh _Kathryn_ –” and Kathryn had never imagined Commander Deanna Troi, who had seemed so effortlessly elegant and lovely and professional when she was introduced to her earlier that evening, to be so rough and feisty and intoxicatingly heady in the comfort of her own bedroom – and Kathryn loves it, so she tries it again. This time, Deanna screams “fuck” in a way that’s so drawn out and indescribably horny and then she shakes and shudders and tightens and comes almost violently, and Kathryn seriously considers going by ‘Kate’ from now on, because she doesn’t think she could ever hear her given name again without being reminded of the bone-melting sounds that Deanna makes when she cries it out and everything tenses and trembles and it feels like an eternity before either of them is able to control their movements again.

Kathryn somehow ends up between them and Beverly practically throws herself at her, pulls her to her side, hand on her chest. She feels Deanna wrap herself around her back, still out of breath but on the hunt for more already, and she has to smirk at the desire-domino that takes place constantly when three people are involved and one of them is an empath. “Tell me, Kathryn,” Beverly lilts in a soft, seductive voice that seems to cherish every little piece of her name, “have you had enough yet or do you want more?”

Kathryn’s still on a high, feeling surreal and a little exhausted, trapped in the warmth between their bodies. “I’m only human,” she laughs nervously. “I don’t know how much more I can handle. I’m afraid you might break me.”

“Are you sure?” Deanna asks and then suddenly, in a remarkably well-coordinated effort, there are four longing hands on Kathryn’s body, touching her gently but insistently, and Beverly’s kissing her mouth and Deanna licks her neck, and heated breathing in her ear makes her gasp and writhe between them.

“No, no, I was wrong, I want more,” she hears herself admit, and then two fingers of one hand are inside her and another hand plays with her clit. She holds onto Beverly, tries to fumble a hand between her thighs, but it’s hard to focus with everything they’re doing to her. “Oh, God, you two are so good,” she groans, pleased, before she loses herself. Wrapped in the warmth of their bodies, the lines between orgasm and not-orgasm begin to fade and she doesn’t know when it starts or stops or how, but the next thing she remembers, she just lies there and _feels_ , all her senses overwhelmed, until she starts to discern little things – a breath on her shoulder, a lock of hair on her cheek, a hand on her hip, a hint of Beverly’s perfume mingled with sweat and sex – and slowly comes back to existence. Somewhere, somehow, a knot in her stomach has slipped, something has come undone, and Kathryn feels free. It’s only later that she puts the pieces together and realizes that Deanna knew the knot was there in the first place, even if she wasn’t aware of it herself, and that she was determined to untie it.

“You’re so hot,” she pants and then stammers, confused, “I mean, literally, temperature-wise – but, of course, metaphorically too.” Beverly laughs and Deanna rolls back to let Kathryn fall to the bed and cool down. Deanna climbs over Kathryn – it sends a shiver down her spine when their nipples brush against each other – and Beverly scoots back to make room between them. When Beverly starts to lightly stroke Deanna’s stomach, Kathryn takes Deanna’s hand, kisses her and surprises herself by saying the words before fully understanding what is happening or why it is necessary. “I want to watch,” she whispers, and the way Deanna then looks at her with lust dripping from her eyes and bites her lip is so hot it scorches Kathryn’s stomach and simultaneously so disarmingly sincere that it makes her spine tingle. They both look at Beverly, who bites her lip and holds Deanna’s gaze for a tangible tension-building moment before kissing her tenderly.

They melt together, move as one, and of course Kathryn can’t say for sure but their heartbeats must be synchronized too, because they couldn’t not be, not while they’re so connected. The play between them is quiet and Kathryn doesn’t know whether that’s because they communicate telepathically or simply because they know each other so well that they don’t need words, but she admires it. It looks as though they anticipate every move and Kathryn realizes that there’s something magical about watching two people pleasure each other, something that not many people get to witness this closely. The way they listen to each other’s bodies is very private, yet they are so completely comfortable with their audience, even seem to enjoy sharing this glimpse. Perhaps it’s even more intimate to watch them together than to participate, she hasn’t decided yet.

Their bodies are glued together with their fingers trapped between them, and although it’s not even visible what they are doing to each other, Kathryn’s sure she can see the electrical current running back and forth as it bounces and builds up between them. Deanna moans, then, and Kathryn sees her nails sink into Beverly’s back, and Beverly responds with a wanting sigh. The desire sparks off them like a crackling campfire and Kathryn had barely even noticed how close they were when they come in perfect synchrony. The current heats up and overloads and the bed trembles when they fall back on it, breathing ragged and hearts pounding, and they look a little ravished, but all Kathryn can see is how in love they are.

She half expects them to have forgotten about her and cuddle up and fall asleep right then and there, and she would have been happy just sneaking out like that. To her surprise, though, Beverly climbs over her with shaking limbs and drops to her other side, taking her left hand while Deanna’s fingers lace through her right. Suddenly, she’s wrapped in the glowing aftershocks of their mutual orgasm. “Did you enjoy the view?” Deanna’s voice in her ear is so sweet it slices through her heart and she involuntarily makes a tiny, delighted noise in her throat and leans in for a kiss.

“Yes,” Kathryn sighs on her lips, “it was delicious,” her tongue searches, “thank you,” and finds Deanna’s. Their kiss is soft and sweet and playful and it almost doesn’t stop when Beverly takes over ever so smoothly.

Kathryn has to gather all her willpower to pull back at some point, because as comfortable and pleasant as these kisses are, she’s also exhausted and it must be the middle of the night and she still has to drag herself back to her own quarters at some point. She leans back into the pillow and whispers a “thank you” again, squeezing their hands. They lie in silence for eternal minutes, not yet willing to break the timeless magic still hanging in the air, drawing circles with their fingers and playing with each other’s hair. The inevitability of Kathryn leaving looms over them – they haven’t discussed it, but it’s understood and agreed that she won’t stay the night. She’s grateful for that wordless understanding and for a brief moment, she thinks about the perks of being with an empath and how much awkward, obsolete conversation could be avoided in return for comfortable, knowing silence.

“I think I should go,” Kathryn whispers eventually. “Can I use your bathroom?”

*

They both nod and look at the naked woman climbing out of the bed and stumbling through the door. Deanna turns back and meets Beverly’s eyes. “I should have known we’d be good at this,” she grins, eyes sparkling.

“Well, I must say, I wouldn’t mind if it happened again,” Beverly chuckles and raises an eyebrow.

“So you enjoyed it?” She knows the answer is yes, but that’s not why she asks.

“Yes,” Beverly smiles, “but when I had you all to myself again, it felt like coming home.”

“I know what you mean,” Deanna replies, because it’s true. “I liked playing with her, too. I would even like doing it again. But only occasionally.”

“I agree.” Beverly takes her hand, interlaces their fingers, and lets Deanna curl into her.

*

When Kathryn walks back into the room, she finds the couple wrapped around each other, Deanna half asleep already, Beverly gently stroking her back. They seem so peaceful and happy and tender, and the sight fills Kathryn with joyful pride – that she’s been allowed to witness this kind of intimacy, to take part in it, even for a moment. That two people could exude so much love and truly complete each other, that sharing that with her has given them such pleasure, that they are so free and uninhibited and confident, amazes her. That she’d leave now and not stay over is only natural, so she’s freshened up and is scrambling to find her clothes when Deanna wakes up from her slumber and gives her a radiant smile.

“So is this something you do regularly?” Kathryn tries to make casual conversation while she gathers her underwear and puts it on.

“No, not really. We don’t have that many opportunities to seduce people,” Beverly chuckles. “Crewmates are too complicated.”

“It’s just hard to have a one night stand with someone who could be your patient the next day,” Deanna explains. Kathryn suddenly understands – the chain of command is one thing, but as medical professionals, everyone could become their patient at some point. She knows a thing or two about carrying that kind of responsibility.

“We’ve never done this with a woman before,” Beverly remarks with a meaningful glance towards Deanna.

“Impossible,” Kathryn smirks and looks at Deanna. “You must have.”

“Let’s say I’ve had some fun on Betazed when I was younger,” she grins secretively. “But this is different.” Kathryn likes the fact that she uses present tense.

“Well, I feel honoured. I would never have guessed,” Kathryn says honestly. “I’d say you’re just so in tune with each other that it comes naturally to you.” She wriggles herself into her dress and struggles with the zipper.

“Thank you. Here, let me help you with that.” Beverly puts on a robe and throws one towards Deanna, then walks over and reaches for Kathryn’s dress. “We’ll see you in the morning,” she says, brushing a lock of auburn-golden hair behind Kathryn’s ear, and it sounds reassuring, a statement, not a question.

“Thank you, Kathryn,” Deanna says softly with an earnest tenderness in her voice, “for sharing this with us.”

They kiss goodbye – warm, gentle, intimate kisses that she would cherish long after – and she thanks them, although she couldn’t possibly put into words what exactly she’s so grateful for, but she trusts Deanna’s empathy to understand and explain how she feels.

*

At the brunch table, Beverly slips into the seat next to Kathryn with a glowing smile. “Good morning, Admiral. Could you pass me some coffee?” Her hand lands lightly on Kathryn’s thigh, not openly erotic, but confident enough to show that it hadn’t been a mistake or a drunken night of passion that shouldn’t have happened. Of course, she’s never really doubted that with them, but Kathryn’s insecure and she worries about these things anyway. It’s been a long time since she’s been able to fall to passion this carelessly. On the other side of the table, Deanna sits down with effortless charm and winks knowingly. They fall into casual conversation as if nothing happened, and the only thing that could have betrayed how they spent the night were the bags under their eyes.

*

“It was a pleasure meeting you,” Deanna says in her diplomatic, but ever-so-slightly flirty voice before kissing her cheek and purring “until next time, Kathryn” in her ear.

“Likewise,” Kathryn manages to reply, but behind her façade is a memory of that voice saying her name in that low purr that melts hearts all over the universe, and she makes sure Deanna can sense how much she enjoys the flashback.

The feeling must have been extended to Beverly, because she blinks in defeat and glances out towards the stars before regaining her professional manners. “I look forward to our next meeting, Admiral.”

“I do too, Doctor,” Kathryn teases back with a smile, although she can feel herself blushing. Beverly gives her a kiss and their hands linger on each other’s arms just a little too long, so that when they part, their fingers brush against each other. Kathryn’s spine still tingles long after they’ve left the room.


End file.
